Who Is Too Young or Too Old for You to Date?

What is the acceptable minimum age for your own (and others’) dating partners? When this question comes up in conversation, someone inevitably cites the “half your age plus seven” rule. This rules states that by dividing your own age by two and then adding seven you can find the socially-acceptable minimum age of anyone you want to date. So if you’re a 24 year-old, you can feel free to be with anyone who is at least 19 (i.e., 12 + 7) but not someone who is 18.1 The (lesser-applied) other side of the rule defines a maximum age boundary: Take your age, subtract 7, and double it. So for a 24-year old, the upper age limit would be 34 (i.e., 17 * 2). With some quick math, the rule provides a minimum and maximum partner age based on your actual age that, if you choose to follow it, you can use to guide your dating decisions.

A Chart of the Rule's Max and Min Partner Age Discrepancies Based on a Person's Actual Age

The utility of this equation is that it lets you chart acceptable age discrepancies that adjust over the years. According to the rule, for example, a 30-year-old should be with a partner who is at least 22, while a 50-year-old’s dating partner must be at least 32 to not attract (presumed) social sanction.

But how legitimate is this rule? Does it match our scientific understanding of age-related preferences for dating? Does it always apply? Should it ever?

Let's examine it:

How well does the rule reflect scientific evidence for age preferences?

Researchers Buunk and colleagues (2000) asked men and women to identify the ages they would consider when evaluating someone for relationships of different levels of involvement. People reported distinct age preferences for marriage; a serious relationship; falling in love; casual sex; and sexual fantasies. Did they follow “the rule”?

Based on the figures Buunk and colleagues (2000) provided (and thus the numbers are only informed approximations), I replotted their data superimposing the max and min age ranges defined by the half-your-age-plus-7 rule. Now we can see how well the rule corresponds with people’s reported acceptable ages.

Men’s preferred minimum partner age: Let’s start with minimum age preferences reported by heterosexual men. In Figure 1, the solid black line represents the rule’s calculation for minimum acceptable range. You can see that men are basically operating by the rule for minimum age preferences for marital relationships (blue bars) and serious dating relationships (yellow bars). Those age preferences consistently hover around the values denoted by the rule (the black line). If anything, in practice men are more conservative when it comes to preferred marriage, preferring a minimum age higher than the rule would say is OK.

Figure 1: Male Participants' Minimum Preferred Partner Age as Compared to the Rule

When it comes to sexual fantasies, however, men have minimum age preferences that are younger than the rule would designate appropriate. For example, this sample of 60-year-old men report that it is acceptable to fantasize about women in their 20s, which the rule would say is unacceptable. But fantasies, of course, are not generally subject to public scrutiny and the rule is only designed to calculate what is socially acceptable in the public eye—so this discrepancy is not necessarily a failure of the rule.

For rule-related involvement (e.g., relationships), 60-year-old men are stating that the minimum acceptable age is around 40ish, which does map much more closely to the rule’s predictions.

Men’s preferred maximum partner age: The rule states that you can calculate maximum acceptable partner ages by subtracting seven from your own age and multiplying it by 2. Figure 2 clearly shows that the rule’s max-age guidelines for men do not reflect real-world preferences. The rule overestimates the perceived acceptability of men becoming involved with older women. Men do not show a linear increase in maximum age preference that matches the rule’s predictions. Instead, men report maximum acceptable partner ages that hover around their own age through their 40s. After 40, maximum age preferences for most categories remain lower than their own age. Thus the rule for maximum ages is fairly ineffective at capturing what men actually believe is acceptable.

Figure 2: Male Participants' Maximum Preferred Partner Age as Compared to the Rule

Case Study: George Clooney. Now let's apply the rule to actual dating behavior by examining George Clooney’s dating habits. Clooney has been scrutinized at times for dating younger women, though not consistently, and this pattern is nicely reflected in a graph of his own age, his partners’ ages, and the rule’s calculations for minimum and maximum acceptable ages. Only twice has he become involved with women whose ages were outside the rule’s guideline. He approached the line with two other partners, but is well within the threshold in his marriage with Amal Alamuddin.

Does the rule work for women?

The minimum rule (half-your-age-plus-seven) seems to work for men, although the maximum rule falls short, failing to reflect empirical age-related preferences. How well does the rule capture women’s preferences?

Women’s preferred minimum partner age: Below are the data from Buunk et al.’s (2000) study on women’s minimum age preferences; the rule’s age calculations are represented by the solid line. In general, the figure shows that women are reporting minimum age preferences that exceed the rule’s predictions. In other words, while the rule states that 40-year-old women can feel comfortable dating 27-year-old men, this does not reflect the social preferences and standards of women. Women in their 40s think that approximately 35 or older is acceptable for marriage or a relationship. Even when fantasizing, such women’s minimum age preference remains over 30. The rule’s calculated minimum acceptable partner ages seem to fit men better than women.

Figure 3: Female Participants' Minimum Preferred Partner Age as Compared to the Rule

Women’s preferred maximum partner age: Examining maximum preferences, again the rule is more lenient, offering an age range with which most people are not comfortable. The rule states that it is acceptable for 30-year old women to date men who are up to 46 years old, but in actuality, 30-year-old women state that their max acceptable partner age would be less than 40 (around 37). The rule underestimates women’s reported preferences in their 20s, but the gap between reports of what is socially acceptable and the rule itself widen over time.

Figure 4: Female Participants' Maximum Preferred Partner Age as Compared to the Rule

Case Study: Demi Moore. Let’s take a look at Demi Moore, who at times has been criticized for dating men who differ substantially from her own age. As you can see from the graph, one partner exceeded the rule’s calculated acceptable maximum age, while Ashton Kutcher’s age fell short of the socially-acceptable minimum age when they first started dating in 2003. By the time of their separation in 2011, however, Kutcher, then 33 had crossed the minimum threshold (31.5) defined by the rule.

How effective is the rule?

Curious outsiders are quick to judge when they can see a wide age gap between two romantic partners. Maybe this is why the rule is so appealing. In a world in which many social norms are often unspoken, the half-your-age-plus-7 rule concretely defines a boundary.

But the rule does not map perfectly onto actual reports of what is socially acceptable. At times it is too stringent, but most often it appears too lenient, condoning age pairings with which most people are not comfortable. So if you are following the half-your-age-plus-7 rule, know that it may not be perfect or truly mirror age-related preference. You might also take care to refer to the maximum age judiciously—the minimum age guideline seems to be more on target (and more so for men than women).

End Notes

1. When you’re 26, however, this person would be 20 and would be right at the line of your age-minimum threshold (13 + 7). In a few more years, you’ll be 28 and this person will be 22, above your new threshold of 21 (14+7).

I enjoyed the data and graphs. I think they seem to back my own social observations. As a recently divorced 49 year old women, I am noticing most men my age (as your data supports) are looking pretty far below their own age. The men who are interested in me, seem to be 60+ and then not even the "best maintained" of that age group. When I was 32 (the youngest acceptable age for a 50 year old) I was not even slightly attracted to guys even a few years older than me. I literally did not even notice them except to realize (what felt like to me) creepy gawking. The data supports this as pretty typical for a young woman - most on the chart are not wanting a man more than a few older themselves, and even that upper limit levels off to "same age" as they get older. So, I wonder what percentage of men desiring these younger mates actually find young women who will engage in a relationship or marriage with them? Are they perpetually chasing a but never catching? You hear about the George Clooney escapades, but lets face it, most men are not George Clooney! (and most older women are not Demi Moore . . . ).

For me there is no woman with more sex appeal than Blythe Danner - who is 71. My last two lady friends have been my age. I know a married woman a few years older than me that I have difficulty being around because to the obvious mutual sexual tension. What these women have in common is that they, like myself, have kept themselves fit.

The data merely operates within the confines of age prejudice and discrimination, for there is not even the single line mentioned of REAL/ACTUAL age, and it is now proven under the microscope that a small group of us are ageing thirty years slower than our measure for the passage of time. I`m a physically one of the best of all ages in the world aged person, with a new serious physical world record every few months. How on earth am I supposed to find a female in her forties and fifties sexually attractive? Indeed, there is so much prejudice and discrimination that I have spent most of my life expecting no more than friendship. However, discrimination and prejudice in time and place friendships tends to fall roughly in place with the prejudice for relationships.

You guys have a real blind spot when it comes to your tactlessness. I mean, you write this completely unironically. I could just as easily say, "I'm a 30-year-old ethnic woman who is physically active, has never smoked, does not drink, and thus the mean age of men who approach me is 23. I'm in the prime of my life with many options. How on earth am I supposed to find some old fart who is convinced he's hot s*** attractive?"
The real question is why you're single at your age; you had plenty of time to secure a life mate!

You wont find any older men attractive because of your prejudice, and when you do you`ll be in utter denial. To say that a sixty year old man is an old fart on the basis of how long he`s lived/nothing is the precise equivalent of saying that all black women are old farts, it`s prejudice, raw prejudice, and our society stinks of it... We are individuals at every age, and a few of us are up to thirty years younger than our measurement for the passage of time, not an ageing measurement, would suggest.

Are you performing at best in the world levels of fitness and endurance? - So sexually then, you would likely have already died from heart failure long before I would even be warmed up. Your definition for old comes with pure unadulterated prejudice and discrimination.. No, it is highly unlikely I`d find you attractive either,, but I am perfectly capable of having close friendships at all ages. Even those friendships that require one to meet at a set time and place. Visit my Facebook and you`ll be made aware that girls as young as eighteen find me attractive.

Of course in your self-absorbed self-pity you completely miss the point, and your own hypocrisy. How are you seriously whining that younger women refuse to date you because "agism" when you said what you said about women your own age? If you don't want to date people your age because you want younger, then how can you complain that younger people also want younger and don't want to date you? The fact of the matter is that statistically, men ALREADY die younger than women. For a woman to select a much-older man, she is setting herself up for decades of widowhood that could have easily been avoided by simply not choosing an old guy for a life partner. And you've also completely bypassed my question. Why are you even single at your age? Why are you even in a position to be pathetically skirt-chasing younger women in an ill-conceived attempt to recapture your lost youth? You may have been hot stuff when you were younger, but you chose to fetter away and waste your prime years cycling through women like a womanizing perpetual adolescent, and now you want to complain that you don't have someone to grow old with (or, older, you're already old). We ladies see morons like you all the time. I myself was very conscious of the passage of time and made sure to date with intent. I haven't been wasting my so-called "good years" using up and disposing of perfectly good men and breaking hearts just to end up the last one with no seat in the game of musical chairs, and that is why I have a guy of upstanding moral character to call my own who I will grow old with. And he will grow old with me simultaneously. If women wait too long they're often forced to date older than their ideal (and I'm talking even 8 years older is too old to many women, I didn't even want to have to settle for that.)
You obviously did not have foresight earlier in life. You made your choices earlier in life and now you have to live with them.

Born largely in male envy, (father`s and son`s), young women tend to carry, (there are exceptions by circumstances, and groups), colossal age prejudice and discrimination over disparity of years in friendship. One`s predisposition either younger or older is not of course prejudice.

You merely assume self-pity. During the slave trade Black Africans, thought of by many then as sub-human, were on occasion accused of self-pity when merely claiming to be human. Those with the most age prejudice today are no different to then, they have merely switched from colour of skin to number of years of disparity. The prejudice tends to being.so mature that it is n`t even recognized for what it is, hence its power, and hence the damage. Also at the same time in significant part, hence why most of us tend to age in time.

One may be predisposed younger, or indeed as is sometimes the case older, and one`s real age may be considerably younger, or considerably older, interests may be younger/older, and none of this is prejudice. Whilst prejudice can fashion whom we find physically attractive this is not where the real problem lies, Disparity of years in genuine friendship is where prejudice does the serious damage - Assumptions are made of people, such as "old fart", merely on account the passage of time, nothing besides, and possibilities for friendship are rejected out of hand on the basis of this same non information.. This is the status quo now, and this is also total social prejudice. It has been accelerating away for a very long time now, and largely unchecked. My physical records, my romantic verse, my image, and my circle of friends, all of this is put out there in order to stem the rot, the rot that knowingly or not the vast majority of us are contributing to just by being ourselves.

Yes, age disparity in friendship (genuine/close) prejudice has been left alone for so long now that it`s a part of our very fabric, and therefore not even recognizable by many that it is indeed prejudice. All the focus has been in the work place. Yes, we may be predisposed younger or older, that`s perfectly fine, and we may be younger with it, but when it is not a predisposition.those on the other side really are made to needlessly suffer..

I actually, at sixty one, share my house with three girls, two are nineteen, and the other, twenty. None of those INDIVIDUALS complain that I`m too old for genuine friendship!

Yes, statistically men die younger, but on the other hand we are not statistics but individuals, and neither does one have a relationship with a statistic. First point, nineteen out of every twenty relationships fail long before anybody dies. Should genuine love be a relationship of optimal convenience/that takes into the equation possible time of death? - Perhaps by chance, but if you are putting the convenience first it cannot be considered genuine love. Whilst one partner might be significantly older the other might be suffering from poor health..

Born largely in male envy, (father`s and son`s), young women tend to carry, (there are exceptions by circumstances, and groups), colossal age prejudice and discrimination over disparity of years in friendship. One`s predisposition either younger or older is not of course prejudice.

You merely assume self-pity. During the slave trade Black Africans, thought of by many then as sub-human, were on occasion accused of self-pity when merely claiming to be human. Those with the most age prejudice today are no different to then, they have merely switched from colour of skin to number of years of disparity. The prejudice tends to being.so mature that it is n`t even recognized for what it is, hence its power, and hence the damage. Also at the same time in significant part, hence why most of us tend to age in time.

One may be predisposed younger, or indeed as is sometimes the case older, and one`s real age may be considerably younger, or considerably older, interests may be younger/older, and none of this is prejudice. Whilst prejudice can fashion whom we find physically attractive this is not where the real problem lies, Disparity of years in genuine friendship is where prejudice does the serious damage - Assumptions are made of people, such as "old fart", merely on account the passage of time, nothing besides, and possibilities for friendship are rejected out of hand on the basis of this same non information.. This is the status quo now, and this is also total social prejudice. It has been accelerating away for a very long time now, and largely unchecked. My physical records, my romantic verse, my image, and my circle of friends, all of this is put out there in order to stem the rot, the rot that knowingly or not the vast majority of us are contributing to just by being ourselves.

Yes, age disparity in friendship (genuine/close) prejudice has been left alone for so long now that it`s a part of our very fabric, and therefore not even recognizable by many that it is indeed prejudice. All the focus has been in the work place. Yes, we may be predisposed younger or older, that`s perfectly fine, and we may be younger with it, but when it is not a predisposition.those on the other side really are made to needlessly suffer..

I actually, at sixty one, share my house with three girls, two are nineteen, and the other, twenty. None of those INDIVIDUALS complain that I`m too old for genuine friendship!

Yes, statistically men die younger, but on the other hand we are not statistics but individuals, and neither does one have a relationship with a statistic. First point, nineteen out of every twenty relationships fail long before anybody dies. Should genuine love be a relationship of optimal convenience/that takes into the equation possible time of death? - Perhaps by chance, but if you are putting the convenience first it cannot be considered genuine love. Whilst one partner might be significantly older the other might be suffering from poor health..

You presume everything about me that comes in the wake of prejudice, but whilst knowing nothing whatsoever.. You portray me as the obvious stereotype, perhaps you have had encounters with men like this, but I have always put what I consider to be genuine love way out in front of conventional love/romantic love. I`ve had just one sexual relationship, by choice, and it lasted just the one year. I regret that relationship because SELF/ego played a too larger part in it. Genuine love is incapable of turning to hate when one`s ego is let down. As for popularity, I am far more popular with young women, teens and twenties now/through my fifties and early sixties than at any time earlier in my life. They would n`t be living with me else. I am very considerably INDIVIDUAL, but everybody should be afforded this possibility, because one in every thousand might actually be so. Not to do this is PREJUDICE!

We could both of us likely write book lengths on this subject. Would you at least consider agreeing with me that in the ideal world we would have a unit of measure specific to measuring one`s age/extent of degeneration? This would accommodate the fact of your being young for your years, and I being young for my own. Do you not agree that nothing is known for absolute certainty of any single individual merely on account the passage of time, and that as for our measure for the passage of time we owe it absolutely nothing when it comes to our own individual ageing?

The "experts" have many things incorrect in my view. For instance, we are encouraged to train less hard with the passage of time, when in reality, I believe that we should be training harder with every passing year..The desire to conform is responsible for much needless ageing. It`s socially apt and it plays a part in seeing to it that the vast majority of us age roughly in time.

Where it concerns romance the question is as to what one wants, if anything, beyond the here and now, as well to the intimate of the here and now itself. Some may be looking for only the best physical/sexual performance,. Then to exclude the much older may be to exclude some of the most able in the world. Some may be looking for genuine love, well, this commodity comes at all ages, There is predisposition in the mix, but there is also very considerable prejudice, as determined by the nature of language chosen...

"Would you at least consider agreeing with me that in the ideal world we would have a unit of measure specific to measuring one`s age/extent of degeneration? This would accommodate the fact of your being young for your years, and I being young for my own"

Emphatically, NO. Being approached by 23-year-old men routinely did not mean I actually wanted to pursue a serious relationship with one when I was single. They are at a different stage of life, have had different life experiences unique to their generation that create a different psychology - even their music preferences are very different and we're only 7 years apart. Put plainly, I have no problem with being my age. I tell everyone how old I am. My attractiveness is relative to the other people in my age group. I am not trying to compete with 18-year-old women and I think it's pathetic when people try to do that.
You are 61, and trying to compete with 25-year-old men for women. That's your prerogative and you have already wasted your whole life like this so what's wasting some more? LOL. But I'm not going to sit here and lie to you and say that I think this is normal or functional behaviour. Nor am I going to lie to you and say that I don't think it's foolhardy behaviour for women looking for a husband to date much older men, or that I envy Celine Dion (who is now alone in her 50's after spending the last 10 years of her life playing nurse) when Rita Wilson is older than her and growing old gracefully with a loving and supportive husband by her side - who is her exact same age. They can spend the twilight years of their lives travelling hand-in-hand together and watching the legacy they have built. You can spend the twilight of your years stuck in the friend zone of teenage girls. Whatever.

Is anyone taking Disco Duck seriously? He's either suffering the world with his narcissistic personality disorder or, more likely, a troll.

Actually, I'm not sure which is more likely, but the dude has some issues. Arguing with a nut sack is just as productive as with a troll.

So... age. I'm 38 and have routinely dated older women. When I was 19, my girlfriend was 42, well outside the norm, and it was amazing. Really amazing.

25, dated in late 30s. Basically, every longer term relationship was with a woman at least 10 years my superior, and were good relationships while they were good. Sometimes I screwed up, sometimes they did, and I don't like forcing things to work.

I'm reasonably attractive (look about 5 years younger than I am), somewhat socially active. But what attracts women to me is that I say thank you when I'm complimented and I speak to women like they're my equals... that equally want to sleep with me.

I'm funny, engaged, and focus on the woman that I'm with. If it works, she's mine for life. If it doesn't, it's easy to find a new mate. I carry that attitude with me to keep pressure off certain moments that may be uncomfortable.

My rule is this, and it has nothing to do with age: when it stops being fun and becomes a chore, it's over. Move on before the other person consumes you. Relationships take work, of course... but when I take extra trips around the block to avoid spending another three minutes with someone? It's over.

Women in their 50s complain just as much about nothing as women in their teens, and that negativity is what ends things for me, emotionally. It always has.

Young or old, life is hard. Deal with it. Laugh. Move on. If you can't laugh with the one you're with, go find someone else to love.

Most times, I can lean back in a chair and listen to a monologue of negativity and wonder how the hell someone could make it so long on this planet, no matter how old they are. I also wonder that if this is what they say about their coworkers and good friends, what do they say to them about me? I see them hug each other and say they love one another, and while the woman I'm dating isn't having sex with them, is sex a consolation gift they give for all the crap they talk behind my back?

It's disappointing, and a burden. So I move on.

Age is never an issue when finding a suitable companion: it's attitude. Age comes in after I meet someone that makes it obvious they're into me, but never the maximum. If a woman is sexy, let's do this!

Now I find myself having to whittle down my dates to a woman my age, a wan that's 27, and a woman that's 19. I'm pretty sure I'll go with the 27 year old.

19, while technically too young, acts it. I don't have time to be a mentor.

The woman my age? Has a kid, not yet divorced, told me she'd cut my dick off if I messed up her birthday. The last point is the most critical.

The 27 year old honestly feels like the woman I've been looking for for a long time, and I was surprised because I've only found those traits in women significantly older than me.

But age is funny: as I get older, I become... older. I have more of the traits younger women look for, instead of the short refractory period of a younger man that older women tend to enjoy.

So, if it makes people happy, be happy. The world is full of social rules because people hate people that don't hate as much as they do.

That's why arguing with a troll makes you just as much of an asshole... albeit, not as stupid of an asshole.

So just let the internet awesome dudes be. They're not going to help you find love.

how bizarre , this research is rubbish dressed up as pseudo science with some meangingless graphs with no scientific validity. Acceptable to whom exactly? what is a socially acceptable range ? depend on multiple non replicable variables. Societies have a pleuthora of beliefs , age group variance, religious and idealogical biases. There are so many confounnders here that there is no credibility in these assumptions, It is Silly

Correct, for the most part it is merely sociology/social psychology.. It is not however a social psychological study for no reasons are arrived at for the statistical findings. It is generous to regard statistics alone as being psychology..

Too boring, fruit cake, whey too boring, too trivial, nothing said!. Google celebritydiscodave and view some of my physical world records, all performed in my fifties and sixties. We have the choice,unless very unfortunate not to arrive in middle age until at least seventy years, and old age at least ninety years, this only taking it that we do genuinely no what we are doing. Yes, I`m of sixty one years, still growing younger by performance, and too young by vitality for the girls I currently house, average age twenty five years. Those that are into short term relationships should pay age disparity no mind. To think that those considerably younger/considerably older will have less in common with us than those nearer our own age is totally wrong headed. On the other hand if you believe garbage long and hard enough, which the majority of us apparently do, it always comes true.

Silly to you? I wonder why. (are you one of those older men that give the young ones the creeps???) I think it would be fascinating to know how many of the men whose stated desired preference is actually met within that age range (or are they deluded about their desirability)??? Im sure dating websites might have that sort of data from their user groups, but "social accepted norms" does not equate with 'norm".

What a fun article! I don't understand why, by I'm a bit tickled to see that my marriage is outside the socially acceptable norm (and just barely compliant with the half + 7 measure). Not in the common way, however - my wife is older than me. But she's such a babe, both on the outside and in character, that she far outshines any younger "competition". And while her outside beauty will certainly began to fade eventually (my own withered up years ago), I look forward to seeing her inner beauty blossom even further.

There has never been a man born that does n`t/would n`t give certain specific girls the creeps for we are all individuals but not every single last older guy is the same person as the next one, trust me. Should you not trust me simply google celebritydiscodave.
At sixty two I`m second in the world for one hour volume punching, first in the world for 20 kg one hour volume dumbell biceps curling, first for weighted punching.... I have more energy and vitality than anybody of any age that you will ever know.

My own independent result for the mean age of the most attractive women over time, using observations spanning several decades now (and compiled a little while back) is Y = 0.3*X + 10, not Y = 0.5*X + 7.

On the graphs this would intersect the canonical line at (x,y) = 15, 14.5 and have a lower slope -- three years per decade, not five.

I don't know exactly what number the relevant bars on the graph correspond to, but I think it's closer to three than five. So the results look about like what I would have predicted.

A complete evolutionary model of human behavior should be able to produce this number from first principles. It's essentially an equilibrium value between several competing fundamental forces. A slope nearer to zero or below is unworkable (you don't want to even consider negative slope universes), whereas women's declining fertility with age keeps the slope from getting too high.

Previous to ~1970, women's child-bearing years ended around age 30. Trends since would make one predict the slope should be very slowly increasing with time but I doubt there's any way to currently measure this.

What proof that women hung up the hat at age 30? Doubly so considering birth control wasn't a thing nor was criminalising rape by husband? Assuming a woman was a good breeder and didn't die in childbirth then she'd stop making babies until around the age of 45 or so.

Births dropped off rapidly after age 30 when people married at high school or college age and started families pretty much right off. Births to 34 y.o.'s and older were rare, even in the larger boomer families.

By contrast, both my (boomer) sisters didn't have their first kid until after 30. This is now not uncommon. The huge drop in birthrates over the last 40-50 years has primarily taken place among women in their twenties, who delay until their thirties and then have fewer kids than if they'd started earlier.

Unfortunately that 'rule' about maximum dating age becomes wider and wider as people age. So a 25 year old woman's max age for a man would be 36 - that sounds acceptable. But a 45 year old woman's max age is a whopping 79 YEARS OLD?? That is patently ridiculous!

If there has to be 'social acceptability' in dating, it should be that you date someone who is neither young enough to be your child nor old enough to be your parent.

mmmmmm dating or sex? Look at how , She shines on the outside, a reflection of the inside Mind. Try the Who, What, When technique.
Better to have wonderful , loving conversation with a woman, who has had her head screwed on straight. No wants, no attachment, no strings. Love is felt in the heart, not in the sex organs. So
you see. What do you mean by dating? Sex or Love? Love is for the spirit, attached to the body. Sex fun, but makes more bodies?
Remember 35 goes into 70 more times than ,;70 goes into 35 {LOL}
bruno.b.USA

mmmmmm dating or sex? Look at how , She shines on the outside, a reflection of the inside Mind. Try the Who, What, When technique.
Better to have wonderful , loving conversation with a woman, who has had her head screwed on straight. No wants, no attachment, no strings. Love is felt in the heart, not in the sex organs. So
you see. What do you mean by dating? Sex or Love? Love is for the spirit, attached to the body. Sex fun, but makes more bodies?
Remember 35 goes into 70 more times than ,;70 goes into 35 {LOL}
bruno.b.USA

You`d be correct, but they are neither a man`s nor a women`s maximum/minimum age, it is merely a formula for what is being suggested as being socially acceptable, and at the very outside margins.
You are actually suggesting to moving it on into an entirely different area. From my experience the outside maximum disparity for girls up to the age of around 25 yrs.for sustained time and place relationships (there are a few special groups where this rule might occasionally be broken), is the current age of their father. However, the vast majority operate much closer to home. It is very uncommon for an eighteen year old girl to sustain time and place with a guy in his thirties, for instance. At the same time it is certainly not uncommon for eighteen year old girls to find some guys in their thirties highly attractive.

When I was in my thirties I moved from the northeast to worked in a professional role in a theme park in the deep south. All the women my age were married, I soon figured out why. The various women I dated were between 18 and 21 years old, because that was the age range available. They were all nice ladies, but on about the third date or so they started talking about how they would like to get married. Which kind of explains why they were all married by age 30. In the end I ended up marrying one of them fifteen years later after she was divorced from her first husband.

When I was in my thirties I moved from the northeast to worked in a professional role in a theme park in the deep south. All the women my age were married, I soon figured out why. The various women I dated were between 18 and 21 years old, because that was the age range available. They were all nice ladies, but on about the third date or so they started talking about how they would like to get married. Which kind of explains why they were all married by age 30. In the end I ended up marrying one of them fifteen years later after she was divorced from her first husband.

As you got older, you added life experience. She would not
have appreciated you ,till you added value to her life.Today -I met my mate 46 years ago married almost 44.Till you go through some pain in your life,you no not how to recognize the joy
and wisdom of another older or younger will add to you life.
bruno.b.usa yea for you -both Ah Ha...give her an extra hug. Read this verbal to her. Sex ix felt in the body and then the head. Gone quickly. To read this to her, LOUDLY In your voice, will make her laugh this day. The love detector, her heart area, of her body, will , jump, skip a beat. Then the love you feel . for her will come through.It when said in your voice, will ring her heart ,like chuch bell and this week, will be awesome, 4 you both. Andthe love in both your hearts will vibrate for a few DAYS
OR MORE.Celebrate the day you met...that is the day she opened
her heart to what you had to say. bruno.b.usa

A dirty little secret in the world of sex is that when relatively young women (30's, 40's) marry an old dude, and that old dude has normal or more than normal erectile dysfunction and corresponding lack of libido, the young women sure are unhappy. I'm not saying it's going to happen in every case, but consider that these are not uncommon problems in men over 50, and it might take a very large income to compensate for the premature end of your sex life.

It always amazes me how older women think men their age owe them attention.
Weren't you the ones that jerked many of these guys around when you were young?

So what do you care if we date younger women now?

Many women date older men, but it seems like when these same women get older, they suddenly are incensed at the idea of a younger woman with an older man.

If they care so much about men their own age they should have treated them better when they were young. Maybe then these guys wouldn't be dumping their dried-out, boring old cottage-cheese-butts for a newer model?

I decided to ditch serial monogamy at age 37 and just date. I rapidly learned to stay far away from women between the ages of 29-41. You so much as look at a hot 20 year old and you can sense them wanting to slap you.

The women over 41 check her out with you, the women under 29 don't really notice or care because they don't feel threatened.

I'm 39 and after trying to date women my own age for 10 years (my former fiancee who was 7 years younger than me and I was with for 9 years just up and left me to do something different) and dealing with all the baggage, the arguing, the trying to boss me around and the feminism now I mostly date women 20-25. My girlfriend is 20 and she lives with me.

I find it really awesome to be surrounded by such young, supple hot women who wouldn't have given me the time of day when I was younger.

I got dicked around by those women 20 years ago because they were interested in the older guys with the jobs, boats, cars and houses. Now I get to read the rewards.

Let's just say having threesomes with your 19 year younger girlfriend and her friends at 39 makes you feel like a million bucks.

Sorry older ladies you got the benefits of your hot looks in your youth, now it's time to pay the piper.

And for reference : yes I'd still jump in bed with a woman in her 40s but it would never be more than a fling.

Love has no boundaries. I find it amusing that researchers try and fit an one size fits all formula into something so complex. Given 50% of the marriages today end in divorce and are likely between peers for the better part the model is irrelevant. There's more to it than age spread. Frankly I could care less what others think, love is between two people, it's their private business.

I Googled the study cited in the article and the total number of respondents was 137 (70 male and 67 female) and I was reminded of those beauty product adverts where 7 out of 10 women prefer a particular product and the small print shows a sample size of 80 odd.

we all want to feel loved. We want that person who won't hesitate to be there for us and just listen when we're going through rough times. That's what makes it so important to slow things down and let the relationship build naturally. We'll find love when the time is right. I would like to recommend a great age gap dating site to you. Visit AgePeoplemeet.com!

I'd love to know how much luck you are having...I wouldn't reply back to 56 year old man I'm 49 and almost no 56 year old man would appeal to me. How many repeat dates do you get with the 30 and 40 somethings?

Most men look awful - they have no idea how bad they look. The only pairs I see working of imbalanced age is an older man with a troubled woman who couldn't obtain a man around her age, so she is forced to 'age up'. I can also see wealthy men obtaining gold diggers as a pattern - this has always been true.

BTW - I have a serious relationship with an extraordinary man who I met online, who is my age. My friend's experiences are similar. It's simply not true that women age faster...I think there are some extraordinarily good looking older men, but they are rare, and rarely single. Women tend more toward the median in looks, most of the men are out of shape, look like they've lived poorly, don't take care of themselves.

I get hundreds of emails when I go online, tons of dates and can choose older or younger men. I don't ever write to men.

While I don't get "100's" of emails, my issue isn't getting a repeat date (which is not a problem, thank you for caring), my issue is getting the point across that I am not interested in getting married.

These younger women are not troubled, nor have I run into any gold diggers. What they are is open minded.

I guess it wasn't nice for me to say women age faster as a general statement, but I have found that many women look older than their age.
Of course, in the world of online dating, many women are older than their ages on their profiles.

Many women's POF profiles start negatively with a long list of "You Better Not Be...". I don't respond to any of those. I don't need to waste my time trying to prove that I'm not like the jerks they've been dating.

I have met a wonderful 48 year old woman from Belgium. I have found that European women do not have the angry, cynical baggage that many American women are dragging around with them.

Our age difference was never a consideration. In fact, we have never discussed it other than sharing our ages. (is 8 years really that big of a difference? Let's get real).

American women would be happier if they threw away their idiotic criteria lists and just let happen what will happen.